Stargazing
by Senigata
Summary: An entry to the Cloti Fall Festival 2019


**Another entry to the Cloti Fall Festival.**

**Today's prompt: Starlit Nights**

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**Stargazing**

"_Sweet Marcus..." Princess Cornelia said in a breathy voice as she stepped towards her beloved, a hood as black as night hiding his face. "I fear I love thee more than I should."_

"_Princess..." Marcus swallowed, his voice shaky. "Will thou be happy, married to a lowly peasant such as I?"_

"_Prithee, call me 'princess' no more!" Cornelia said with a bright smile, taking his hand and placing it on her cheek. "I wish to live my life under the sky. At times I shall laugh, at other times cry. For no life is more insincere than that lived in a masquerade."_

"_So much consideration thou hast given it! But worry not!" Marcus exclaimed as he embraced his beloved. "Cast away thy trappings of royalty, and I shall swaddle thee in a gown of pure love! Never again will I part from thee! Pray, my love, make me thy canary to keep forever in the cage of thy bosom! Let us embark on the first ship tomorrow, before dawn can tell of our elopement!"_

_The princess nestled her face into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent, never wanting to let go of him ever again."All my fortunes at thy foot, I lay, and I shall follow thee throughout the world!" she said to him._

"_No cloud, no squall shall hinder us!"_

_They shared a passionate kiss. The only witnesses to the two lovers were the moon and the stars shining brightly above...and the shadowy figure watching from afar._

"_Fie! It shall be war again unless this marriage is stopped. Ne'er will I let their plan come to fruition." the figure muttered._

Tifa released a breath as she stared at the words in front of her. Raising the cup that she was holding to her lips, she took a sip of her tea and immediately grimaced as it had long since grown cold. She placed the tea on the table in front of the sofa, then put her little Chocobo bookmark between the pages before closing the book. With a wistful sigh, she held it to her chest. Shera definitely wasn't wrong when she recommended her this one. It was almost as romantic as _Maria & Draco._

_Maria & Draco_ also had a happy ending, while this, she already knew, was a tragic romance. But sometimes Tifa was a sucker for those as well.

She turned her head to look at the clock on the wall and was surprised that it was already way past the kid's bedtime.

Placing _I Want To Be Your Canary_ on the table, she rose to her feet and headed to the children's room, where Denzel and Marlene were engaged in a little game. Smiling, she knocked on the door frame to get their attention.

"Time for bed," she told them.

"Can't we stay up a little bit longer?" Denzel asked. "Please?"

Accompanying his words were Marlene's best puppy dog eyes, but those had stopped working on her a long time ago.

"Nope." Tifa chuckled. "You know how Cloud gets when you stay up past your bedtime."

The boy let out a sigh. "Fine."

The two of them headed into the bathroom to brush their teeth and change into their pajamas. After they returned, Tifa tucked them in, placing a kiss on each of their foreheads.

"Sleep tight," she said to them before turning off the lights and closing the door.

Heading back to their little living room, she took _I Want To Be Your Canary_ and went downstairs to sit down in one of the booths while she waited for Cloud to return. Tifa opened the book to continue reading. She wanted to at least finish this scene.

While she was reading, something caught her eye from the window next to the door. The moonlight was shining inside. Rising to her feet, she walked over and took a peek outside.

It was a clear night, with not a single cloud in the sky. The stars and the moon were shining brightly, just like they did for Marcus and Cornelia.

...and for her and Cloud all those years ago.

With a smile, she put the book away and went upstairs, picking up a blanket from their closet, then returned downstairs and headed outside.

Tifa put the blanket over her shoulders to shield herself from the night's cold breeze and sat down on the stairs, returning her gaze to the starlit sky. In the years after Cloud had left she had often sat by her window to stare up at the night's sky, wondering if he was doing alright, if he had managed to join SOLDIER like he wanted. In the end the truth had been less than glamorous, but he had kept the promise they had made that night.

The unmistakable sound of Fenrir's engine woke her from her reverie and Tifa turned to see Cloud riding slowly down the street.

Coming to a halt in front of their home, Cloud gave her a confused look. "Tifa? What are you doing out here?"

She gave him a little grin and returned her gaze to the sky. "Just watching the stars," she replied, and then patted the space next to her. "Come, join me."

He cocked an eyebrow for a moment, but then chuckled through his nose and shut off Fenrir's engine. Once he sat down next to her, Tifa put the blanket over both of them.

"Thanks," he said. Tifa didn't waste any time to snuggle up to him, resting her head against his shoulder, seeking his warmth.

So many years had passed, but in a way she was still that 13 year old girl from that night in Nibelheim, and Cloud was still the awkward boy from next door. Just two kids and the sheer endless ocean of stars above them.

A happy sigh escaped her as he planted a kiss on top of her head. Simply perfect.

"This is because of that book you've been reading, right?" he murmured against her hair.

"Don't ruin the moment," she said without dropping her smile, resting her hand on top of his chest, just above his heart.

A small laugh tickled her bangs. "Okay."


End file.
